With MTV, CBS and Time Magazine all releasing reviews and rankings of the latest hits in the world of video gaming, it´s no surprise that the video gaming population is attracting attention throughout the world of entertainment marketing. Movies such as The Matrix: Reloaded, T3: Rise of the Machines, Finding Nemo and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King inspired some of the most anticipated video games in 2003.
Still, there are plenty of original productions from Military engagements to Fantasy quests to Sports action for gamers who want to spend all their waking hours mashing buttons.
Here´s a few of the new original production titles riding the crest of the electronic wave right now:
Action Mania
- Half-Life 2 from Sierra Entertainment. Five years in development, Half-Life 2 offers a 12 chapter, single-player storyline. Adding startling new realism and responsiveness, the player´s presence as research scientist Gordon Freeman affects everything around him, from the physical environment to the behaviors of both friends and enemies, as he strives to rescue an alien-dominated, resource and population depleted Earth from a wrong he unleashed in the past. (List Price: $19.95)
- XIII from Ubi Soft. Like a comic book come to life, this spy-guy shooter game has cell-shaded graphics and word bubbles that display the dialogue. Narrated by David Duchovny, the complex plot revolves around an amnesiac agent trying to discover why the bad guys are after him. (List Price: $34.99)
- Medal of Honor Rising Sun from Electronic Arts Games. In this second installment of EA´s WWIII Action Series, the player must use stealth, commando tactics, and sabotage to turn the tide against Japanese forces seeking to expand their dominion over the Pacific. Nine gameplay levels spread across five missions, featuring real-life historical battles like Pearl Harbor and Guadalcanal, over 20 authentic WWII weapons, highly intelligent enemies, and a heroic cast of characters. (List Price: $29.99)
- Superdudes.net from Supernation, LLC. This online-only site has 10 games from which to choose, and features create-your-own characters, training drills, contact forums to chat with other Superdudes and head-to-head combat in intense, seconds-long contests between online rivals. (Free On-Line Games, Subscription with Premium Games and Accessories: $29.95)
Crunch Time
- NFL Street from Electronic Arts Sports Big. EA has taken football out of the stadium and recast it as gang sports in your local hood, playing seven-member teams on beach and warehouse turf. Street-styled versions of current and former NFL greats play both offense and defense in pick-up games. Or, if they dare, gamers can create their own players. (List price: $49.95)
- Madden from Electronic Arts Sports. With training camps to play-by-play commentary to offensive and defensive audible calls, crushing hits and improved crowd reaction sounds, this new edition of Madden dips gamers by their heels into an amazing simulation of real world of the NFL. Gamers can create any play imaginable with faster game speed and tighter controls or manage a franchise from the pre-season on, with thirty years of full career player stats and team logic for trades and drafting. John Madden provides strategy and advice during both offensive and defensive play calling. (List price: $49.99)
Put Up Your Dukes
- Soul Calibur 2 from Namco Limited. Featuring a labyrinthine history that combines Holy Grail, Garden of Eden and Olympian god analogies with a roster of international good and evil characters from the 16th Century, Soul Calibur 2 personifies the notion of video game as ultimate quest. As combatants who pursue the Excalibur-like sword Soul Calibur or the ultimate evil sword Soul Edge for their own reasons, players collect fighting experience, gold and different weapons which heal them or increase offensive or defensive power. The game features full 3D (or eight directional) movement and individual characters designed for each hardware console. (List price: $49.99)
Adventure!
- Sonic Heroes by Nintendo. Sonic the Hedgehog returns with Sonic Heroes, its best looking visual adventure yet. The game is still basically the same with the loopy qualities shared with Super Mario Bros. Games. Teams play the same levels as before, but objectives are different for each team and new challenges await on the different levels. Each team has a speed demon, a flyer and a strongman. Prompts let kids know which player should lead until they get familiar with the game. (List Price: $49.99)
Writer's Bio: Scott Ferguson is a writer, composer and family man. Since graduating from Oberlin College, Scott has seen his music in films and commercials, won awards for his copywriting/composing for various advertising clients and received a Grammy-nomination for his music production.
